Hoth Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

The album is out in just a few days, so we are just working on wrapping up a few things before it is unleashed upon the world. Shipping packages, etc.

2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

The new album Astral Necromancy might be described as melodic black metal, but I think we have a lot of other influences that come through with folky passages and more atmospheric stuff. We definitely like a good melody as sort of the common thread through a song. I’d say the new album is more thorough and consistent than past work and I think we have honed in even more on the type of sound we really want to capture.

3.This is the first album to be released in 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?

Some of the first demo ideas for this album were recorded all the way back in 2015. Expanding on these and sculpting them into something we feel represents our ideas takes a lot of time. We got together weekly for nearly 4 years to workshop ideas and themes and figure out how to put them all together. It was a process that saw a lot of ideas completely scrapped - but I think it was all worth it.

Additionally, we got new equipment to create the music. Purchasing a new guitar about a year ago meant we had to re-record basically all of the songs, but once again, it was very much worth it. To hear the original demos to the final version is night and day.

4.The lyrics on the new recording is a concept based around Occultism, can you tell us a little bit more about the songwriting and also your interest in the occult?

We developed a concept over time of occult black magic, but with the source of that power emanating from beyond the earth. Somewhere out in the cosmos is the source of that power, and to think such a power could be drawn from our puny world is ignorant. Out in the vast darkness of space is a power that can be drawn upon, but with all things it costs a considerable price. Learning these occult secrets can grant immortality and great power, but it rots the flesh and corrupts the soul. To protect oneself from the putrid side effects of this costly power, there are other rituals, pacts to be made, that can secure your essence beyond the realm of death - at least for a time being.

The occult was a natural place for us to go with our interest in space. We read a deal about black holes, dark energy, but also old grimoires written in centuries past by people who practiced necromancy. These two concepts were married together in the creation of Astral Necromancy.

5.The bands name came from "Star Wars' and the earlier material was more sci-fi themed, what was the decision to move away from that topic on the new recording?

Hoth was originally chosen as our name because it was a planet covered in snow and ice. It sort of represented to us a sort of Niflheim - this realm of cold that embodies a primordial force. The name is also short and sweet, and rolls off the tongue quite well. Our first demos and Infinite Darkness were sort of the natural starting point for us after picking a name. It was easy to write lyrics and have fun recording, but eventually we started to take a more serious look at what kind of themes we wanted to explore. Our interest in the occult really started with Oathbreaker which is the story of someone sacrificing themselves and everything they believe in for a forbidden power in the vain hope to cheat death. Themes of necromancy are present in that album. Different people listening to it will imagine a different story in their heads, which was intentional. Some people see Star Wars, others imagine other stories, because the tale of corruption is a timeless one and your interpretation is based on your own life experiences and is probably just as valid as anyone else’s. I had also begun reading about the occult, specifically necromancy, for another side project I was working on, so that also influenced the new material. So based on this theme of necromancy we began in Oathbreaker, Astral Necromancy was the natural next step - to really look at the spells and rituals of black magic and to see what they mean. Overall, we are organic. We grow and change and evolve. Who knows what direction our future musical efforts will take us?

6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding your line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?

We will remain a duo.

7.The new album was released on 'Epicurus Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Epicurus is a small micro-label in Seattle doing only select musical projects from Seattle-based artists.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of melodic black and death metal?

People seem to like us for the most part. I hope this new album doesn’t disappoint.

9.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

We both have a few music side projects. Nothing incredibly active as of now. All the focus has been on completing and releasing Astral Necromancy. Maybe we’ll get back into some of our personal projects once the album is out.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Hard to say - only time will tell! We haven’t even started to think about our next album, but we want to continue to have very narrative-driven albums, not necessarily concepts – but albums that conjure mental pictures with the listener. That have songs that can stand alone and as a whole- create a listening experience.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Influential bands for us are Windir, Dissection, Emperor, Enslaved, Immortal, Moonsorrow and many others. We love that mix of black metal with subtle folk elements, though I personally enjoy the cheesier stuff as well. Anything with good production and a focus on enchanting melodies is fun. Recently I have been listening to a lot of Visigoth, Aorlhac, Panopticon, and a bunch of random black metal solo projects I stumble onto on youtube or bandcamp.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

We are into the outdoors, hiking, etc. We both like playing video games. David has been into the new Zelda, and I’ve been playing working through another playthrough of The Witcher 3. We are also both into craft beer, which Seattle is great for.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thanks for taking the time to read this! Go check out Astral Necromancy which will be out worldwide on June 15th. Stay tuned for more info about what we plan to do next!

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Oubliette/The Passage/The Artisan Era/2018 Full length Review

  Oubliette  are  a  band  from  Murfreesboro,  Tennessee  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "The Passage"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  The  Artisan  Era.

  A  very  fast  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  onto  some  of  the  tracks.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  melodic  death  metal  elements  as  well  as  one  of  the  tracks  introducing  synths  onto  the  recording  and  spoken  word  parts  and  stringed  instruments  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  as  the  album  progresses  their is  also  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals,  a  few  of  the  later  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Oubliette  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  melodic  sides  of  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  with  some  progressive  structures  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  loss  and  grief.

  In  my  opinion  Oubliette  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Pale  Innocence"  "Elegy"  and "The  Passage".  8  out  of  10.

www.facebook.com/oubliettemetal
www.oubliette.bandcamp.com
www.instagram.com/oubliette.tn

Ephyra/The Day Of Return/Volcano Records & Promotion/2018 CD Review

  Ephyra  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "The  Day  Of  Return"  which  was  released  by  Volcano  Records  &  Promotion.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  which  also  having  a  blackened  metal  feeling  to  them  at  times  while  female  vocals  and  folk  instruments  are  also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  Japanese  And  Mongolian  instruments,  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  as  the  album  progresses  throat  singing  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Ephyra  takes  folk  metal  and  mixes  it  with  the  melodic  sides  of  black  and  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Medieval  Fantasy,  Warriors  and  Battle  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ephyra  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  folk  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Day  Of  Return"  "Wayfarer"  "Dance  Between  The  Rocks"  and  "True  Blood".  8  out  of  10.

http://volcanopromotion.wixsite.com/ephyra

Flood Peak/Plagued By Sufferers/2018 Full Length Review

  Flood  Peak  are  a  band  from  Portland,  Oregon  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom  and  post   metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Plagued  By  Sufferers".

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  angry  sludge  style  screams  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  most  of  the  tracks a re  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  A  great  amount  of  doom  metal  elements  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  while  the  vocals  also  utilize  black  metal  screams  at  times  along  with  some  clean  guitars  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of   the  recording  as  well  as  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  post  metal  elements  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  slower  direction.

  Flood  Peak  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  sludge,  doom  and  post  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  bleakness  and  hopelessness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Flood  Peak  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Scourge"  and  Veiled  By  Summoners".  8  out  of  10.

www.facebook.com/floodpeakband 
www.twitter.com/floodpeakband 

Mordant Rapture/The Abnegation/The Artisan Era/2018 EP Review

  Mordant  Rapture  are  a  band  from  San  Jose,  California  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  and  technical  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "The  Abnegation"  which  will  be released  in  July  by  The  Artisan  Era.

Tragic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  gives  the  songs  a  symphonic  feeling when  they  are  mixed   in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  technical  style.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  briefly  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  at  times  the  music  also  gets  very  brutal.

  Mordant  Rapture plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  symphonic  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  technical  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mordant  Rapture  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  and  technical  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Withered"  and  "Natal  Trophies".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/MordantRapture/
https://twitter.com/MordantRapture
https://www.instagram.com/mordant_rapture/



  

Hoth/Astral Necromancy/Epicurus Records/2018 Full Length Review

  Hoth  are  a  band  from  Seattle,  Washington  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Astral  Necromancy"  which  will  be  released  on  June  15th  by  Epicurus  Records.

  Melodic  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having a   very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  some  back  up  shouts  also  being  used  at  times  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Throughout  the  recording  a  great  amount  of  melodic  death  metal  elements  can  also  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  blast  beats and  a  couple  of  tracks  also brings  in  a  small  amount  of  classical  guitars.

  The  fast  riffs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  while  keyboards  are  also  added  onto  a couple  of  the  tracks  and  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  vocals  can  be  heard  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  they  also  return  later  on  during the  recording  as  well  as  a  couple  of   the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Hoth  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  melodic  sides  of  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  Black  Magick,  Necromancy,  Forbidden  Knowledge  and  Spiritual  Transcendence.

  In  my  opinion  Hoth  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Living  Dreams  Of  A  Dead  God"  "Citadel  Of  The  Necromancer"  "Journey  Into  The  Eternal  Winter'  and  "Solitude".  8/5  out  of  10.

http://hothmetal.com
http://hothmusic.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/hothmetal

Mortuorial Eclipse Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

After finished recordings we did some tours in Chile and Brazil, being part great festivals and performing in small venues. Now we are working on some gigs of presentation for this new release and getting ready for upcoming tours.

2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Once released our first album we had the feeling that something bigger can be created with the same formula but getting deeper into the Orchestra as main element, we explored that universe and as a result we came up with a very eclectic result. URUSHDAUR is a combination of brutal music and dark atmospheres with some ethnic essence.

3.This is your first full length in 6 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

The band was in a transition process when “The Aethyrs´ Call” was finished. It was my debut as singer, until that moment we had front man singer like part of the band. After the recording I had to develop my skills to take these songs to stage and we needed to make the band ready for a higher level exigence.

4.Your lyrics cover Occultism, Old Wisdom and Ancient Cultures, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

These topics are very closely related, we can say that you can not talk of any of them without enter in the others. We find a huge inspiration on these topics and an endless fount of knowledge to dig and develop our message using them as a bridge more than a goal or a point of adoration.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Mortuorial Eclipse'?

We were ready to perform live back in 2007 and we didn’t have a name yet. Actually we had a lot of different ideas and combinations but none really convinced all of us and we changed from rehearsal to rehearsal. “Dying Eclipse” or “Thy Tempest” were some of the first choices but I can’t remember how we finished with “Mortuorial”( a not existing word but very graphic). The final choice evokes the death as an ecliptic restless cycle beyond human wisdom.


6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

For sure “Southern Stigma Tour” around Russia and Europe was the most extreme experience the band had. We were part of some amazing festivals as Moscow Black Metal Convention(Russia) and Metal Crowd ( Bealrus ) . Another night to remember was back in 2014 when we supported the Polish Behemoth,band that is a big influence for me.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

Take URUSHDAUR as far as we can is tha mayor goal now that the album is released. North America and Central Europe are on the eye for next year.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black, death and symphonic metal?

As we make some king of Hybrid critics are very disparate. Purists are always against these proposals but it was never and obstacle to develop our style as mind of people is getting more open and the need of new options is constant. We have a Black essence, Death Sound and a strong Symphonic element; this is how band was born and we are getting deeper into this path  with this new material.   

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We still feel there is a lot to develop in the line we are, even we are very proud of our latest CD we are exploring and going further to take our proposal to a higher level and keeping all time breeding new music .

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Our influences are brutally open and its very difficult to find where they start and finish, from OSTs to Old School BM. From Middle East Ethnic to Tampa´s DM and this is all time growing. 

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Wine? So far , everything we do is somehow connected with music and art. It gets very difficult now to think in our lives in a Non Musical Way. We really enjoy what we do and it give us strength to face all the shit of the world without backward steps. 

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

URUSHDAUR is a deep trip that many metalheads will enjoy, we think this work will open a new chapter for the band and we are ready to do all in our hands to deliver this proposal to as far as our strength let us do it. A long journey has just begun. En el caos está la verdad!

Nefass / June 2018

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